2009 Council Elections

Advocacy Candidates

Caroline M. Apovian, MD
Nutrition and Weight Management, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA

Rebecca M. Puhl, PhD
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University

Background and Experience:
Caroline Apovian is Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition at Boston University School of Medicine and Director of the Center for Nutrition and Weight Management at Boston Medical Center. She also serves as a co-Director of the Adipocyte Core of the NIH-funded Boston Obesity Nutrition Research Center (BONRC). Dr. Apovian has been in the field of obesity management since 1990, and her current research interests are in adipose tissue and endothelial function and relationship to adipocytokines, medium chain triglycerides and adipose cell metabolism, and drug treatments for obesity. She has recently chaired the Multidisciplinary Adult Task Group for the Betsy Lehman Center and Massachusetts Department of Public Health Expert Panel on Weight Loss Surgery, whose recommendations will be published in an upcoming issue of Obesity.

Service to The Obesity Society:
Dr. Apovian has been a TOS member since 1992. She served on the Executive Committee and Council as Secretary/Treasurer (2005-2008). In addition, she is an Associate Editor of Obesity, the journal (2006-present) as well as being a member of the Annual Program Committee, Advocacy Task Force, Scientific Review Committee, Steering Committee on Physician Credentialing, Finance Committee, and Audit Committee. She has served on the Education Committee (2004-2006), during which time she helped write guidelines for the perioperative management of the bariatric surgery patient in conjunction with AACE and ASMBS. She is also a member of the Bariatric Surgery Section and the Clinical Management of Obesity Section. In addition, she has been a faculty speaker and has presented abstracts at numerous TOS annual meetings.

Vision for The Obesity Society:
I am dedicated to continuing to promote The Obesity Society (TOS) as the premier society for both scientific inquiry into obesity as well as excellence in clinical management of the disease. I have seen TOS grow from a small group of like-minded scientists and clinicians interested in the growing epidemic to the strong society of varied interests that it is today. In order to continue to influence policy and legislation, TOS needs to continue to grow in scope and support. We are at a crucial period in the growth of this society where we can use our influence to our advantage and change the way the government and the private sector view obesity. Let's continue to influence decision-making to favor prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity - our nation's health crisis. This is what is needed now to help interventions get to the people who need them most, the obese with co-morbidities, while at the same time improving public health measures to prevent obesity in the future. At the same time, TOS needs to remain at the forefront of scientific research and continue to attract basic scientists who are interested in the pathophysiology and treatment of obesity. I believe that TOS should continue to reach out to other societies such as ASMBS, AACE, ADA, in the spirit of collaboration to reach our goals.

Rebecca M. Puhl, PhD

Background and Experience:
I am the Director of Research at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. As a Research Scientist at our center, I coordinate scientific research and policy efforts aimed at reducing weight bias and improving quality of life for persons affected by obesity. I have been studying weight bias for ten years, and my research has examined topics including the prevalence, origins, and public health implications of weight stigma, interventions to reduce weight bias, and the impact of weight bias on emotional and physical health for obese youth and adults. I have presented on my research to academic, professional, and community groups across the country, and my work has received national media attention.

In addition to my research in this area, my work also involves significant advocacy efforts to increase education and public awareness about weight bias. As an example, in the past two years, these efforts have included developing an online CME to educate health care providers about weight bias in health care settings (approved by the Yale Medical School and for AMA credit); developing a comprehensive online toolkit for health providers in a range of specialty areas (in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente) containing extensive resources on weight bias; producing three educational videos targeting health providers, educators, and youth about weight bias and strategies to overcome this problem; and creating policy briefs on legal issues pertaining to weight discrimination for policy makers. These resources have been widely disseminated, and we continue to receive requests for these resources internationally. The CME and videos are also being increasingly used by medical schools, health care facilities, and obesity centers across the country for required training purposes. I also provide expert testimony for anti-discrimination legislation at State legislative hearings. For more details about these efforts, please visit http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/what_we_do.aspx?id=10.

Service to The Obesity Society:
In 2003 I was one of three Keynote speakers at the opening ceremonies of the annual TOS conference in Fort Lauderdale, where I presented research on weight bias and its importance to the mission of TOS. Since 2005 I have chaired the Weight Bias Taskforce for TOS. Efforts accomplished during my tenure include creating a policy statement of guidelines to avoid pejorative language in scientific communications for articles in Obesity, materials posted in Obesity Online, and CME education programs that TOS conducts in an effort to reduce weight bias among the scientific community. These guidelines have been posted on the journals' website since that time. I have also created multiple weight bias fact sheets for the TOS website, developed two educational slide-decks on weight bias which are posted on the Obesity Online program, and in 2008 I co-edited a supplement issue of Obesity with 14 peer-reviewed articles on weight bias in an effort to increase scientific attention to weight bias research. Current efforts for 2009 include: 1) creating educational resources for the media to reduce weight bias in press coverage of obesity issues, 2) addressing weight bias toward youth in school wellness policies, and 3) targeting outreach (e.g., via educational resources and training) to other health-related organizations. On a regular basis, I also respond to requests from TOS to act as a spokesperson for press queries on weight bias topics.

Vision for The Obesity Society:
Improving quality of life and reducing weight bias for obese persons has been a long-standing core value of TOS. But as the prevalence of weight prejudice continues to increase and remains socially acceptable, broader and more systematic efforts are needed to help effectively shift societal attitudes and reduce stigma. TOS can lead these efforts in several ways. First, in order to increase education and awareness of weight bias and its consequences for those affected by obesity, systematic outreach efforts are needed to target common sources of weight bias, including health care professionals, students, educators, employers, families, and the media. Second, TOS can advocate for the inclusion of education about weight bias in standard curriculum and training for students in health-related fields to help ensure that future generations of health professionals have an accurate understanding of weight bias and are trained in sensitive and appropriate delivery of care. Third, despite several decades of research demonstrating weight bias in multiple domains of living, there is little understanding about the impact of weight bias on health outcomes or how to effectively reduce this form of stigma. TOS can advocate for greater research funding to test stigma-reduction interventions and to assess the ways in which weight bias can adversely affect morbidity and mortality of obese persons. Finally, with no federal legislation (and only one state) that prohibits weight discrimination, TOS can help to develop policy and legal approaches to help eliminate discrimination against persons with obesity. By simultaneously addressing weight bias as both a public health problem and a social justice issue, TOS can have a meaningful impact on improving the quality of life for children and adults affected by obesity.